Ephraim Downes
Ephraim Downes , also Ephraim Downs (* 1787 , † December 8, 1860 in Bristol ) was an American watchmaker and miller . In the period from 1810 to 1842 he manufactured a variety of wooden wheel clocks and worked with Eli Terry , Silas Hoadley and Seth Thomas in Connecticut , among others .
Downes learned watchmaking from Eli Terry in Waterville , near Waterbury . From 1815 to 1821 he worked as a dealer and watchmaker in Cincinnati . He then returned to Waterbury and began producing wooden watch movements. In 1825 he worked in Bristol, where he also bought a flour mill. He still had a good partnership with Terry. So he could use one of his patents, which he paid for by delivering clockworks.
Between 1830 and 1839, Downes sold around 7,000 wooden watch movements to wholesalers. About 80% of these wooden wheelworks with a running time of about 30 hours were built into so-called "Looking Glass Clocks" (mirror clocks). The wholesale price was about $ 9.00 in the early 1830s . However, the price fell by around half in around ten years due to competitive pressure and the reduced costs of series production. Downes also sold some brass movements, but it is doubtful that he made them himself. After 1842 he was no longer involved in the manufacture of clocks, although he still made and sold a few wooden clockworks himself. Finally, in 1846, he leased his watch factory.
Downes continued to operate his flour mill until 1850. In 1865, five years after his death, his old watch factory burned down. The flour mill next to it was demolished in 1921 and a stone monument with a water feature was erected in its place.
literature
- David A. Hounshell: From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, ISBN 978-0-8018-2975-8
- Lynda Russell: Bristol Historic Homes . Arcadia, Charleston 2006
- Eddy Smith: Bristol, Connecticut . City Printing, Hartford 1907
Individual evidence
- ^ Berthold Schaaf: wooden wheel clocks . Callwey, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-7667-0791-4 . P. 201
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Downes, Ephraim |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Downs, Ephraim |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American watchmaker and miller |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1787 |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 8, 1860 |
| Place of death | Bristol , Connecticut |